The key facts
- Lavrov: Russia will not agree to a truce without understanding the subsequent steps
- According to him, Europe demands an immediate ceasefire, while Moscow sees in this a risk of Kyiv restoring its military potential
- Lavrov rejected the sequence «first a truce — then talks on security» proposed by von der Leyen
Lavrov's statement following the CSTO meeting
Russia will not agree to another ceasefire in Ukraine unless it understands what will follow the truce. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following the joint meeting of the CSTO governing bodies, reports Life.ru. «Entering another truce, another ceasefire, whatever you call it, without understanding what will happen next — we will not agree to that,» the minister emphasized.
Position on European demands and the talks in Abu Dhabi
According to Lavrov, European countries are demanding an immediate ceasefire, but Moscow believes that such an approach could give Kyiv time to restore its military potential. The minister also deemed unacceptable the idea of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the parameters of a future security architecture only after a sustainable truce is established, saying that Russia does not intend to agree to such a sequence of actions. At the same time, he noted that the talks in Abu Dhabi, at the proposal of American mediators, are devoted to discussing the parameters of a future security architecture for Ukraine, Russia, and the entire European region.
